1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a locking device for a hood adapted for covering an engine, a battery or the like of an industrial vehicle.
2. Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1 to 3, a conventional locking device 9 for a hood 3 is provided on a front surface 32 of the hood 3 of an industrial vehicle, such as a fork lift truck.
The locking device 91 as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Kokai Publication No. 59-56 (1984), is comprised of a holder 90, a handle 91 and a catch lever 92.
Referring to FIG. 2, the handle 91 is rotatably mounted on a pivot shaft 93 of the holder 90. The catch lever 92 has its one end rotatably mounted on the handle 91, while having its other end engageable with a hood catch 8.
The hood catch 8 is secured by a bolt 81 to a frame 4 of a vehicle chassis.
Further, a handle 7 for opening or closing the hood 3 is provided on a lateral surface 37 of the hood 3, as shown in FIG. 1 and 3, while a hinge 30 is provided at the rear end of the hood 3.
For opening the hood 3, the handle 91 is pulled in the direction C as shown in FIG. 2. This lowers the catch lever 92 as shown by an arrow G. The catch lever 92 is then pulled as shown by an arrow D, the catch lever 92 being thus released from the hood catch 8. The handle 7 is then raised manually to open the hood 3. When closing the hood 3, the reverse of the above described operation is performed to close and lock the hood 3.
The above described prior-art technology has, however, the following disadvantages.
That is, the locking device 9 is mounted near the driver's foot, as shown in FIG. 8, such that the driver may have his or her foot caught by the locking device 9 when getting on or alighting from the vehicle. The locking device 9 mounted in a protruding manner on the front side 32 of the hood 3 is awkward in appearance.
The handle 7 is provided with a substantially U-shaped recess 71 above the frame 4, as shown in FIG. 3. An elastic seal 73 and an abutment seal 72 having a notch 720 are provided at the recess 71, resulting in a complex seal mounting structure and awkward appearance.